Alice & Olivia celebrates Pride with Dylan Mulvaney, Ariana DeBose

Much-discussed influencer Dylan Mulvaney glittered in a silver sequin gown at Alice + Olivia’s Camp Pride bash in Chelsea this week.

Mulvaney — who has gained nearly 2 million Instagram followers with videos about her life as a trans woman — became the center of a major brew-haha after she showed off a special one-off Bud Light can with her face printed on it, which lead to a boycott of the beer by anti-LGBTQ drinkers.

(Mulvaney, we hear, was wearing a dress by Alice + Olivia in the images for the Bud Light promotion that sparked the imbroglio.) 

After the uproar, the fashion line’s designer Stacey Bendet says that this year’s Pride bash felt “more important to do.” 

“There are so many brands doing things right or trying to do things right and maybe doing them wrong,” Bendet tells us. “I think the [LGBTQ] community is happy that we do this and more brands need to do this in a way that is true to who they really are.”

Ariana DeBose, Stacey Bendet
Tony Awards host Ariana DeBose hung out with designer Stacey Bendet.
Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com

She added, “Sometimes when companies have done things wrong, they have to accept that and figure out what to do better.”

A vocal group also protested Target’s Pride collection this year, causing the store to move items to the back of its stores over concerns “about threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety.” 

Bendet for her part, thinks it’s important to not “back down.”

“You have to take a stand,” she told us. “These are tricky times when something can be taken one way or another. It’s about staying true to who you are as a brand.” 

Katie Holmes
Bendet told us you have to “take a stand” at the event that also brought out Katie Holmes.
Getty Images for alice + olivia

Alice + Olivia has celebrated Pride for years and donates funds to the Ali Forney Center, which helps support  LGBTQ homeless youth.

Also at the event, which featured a performance by “Paper” singer Kenzie, were Katie Holmes, Nicky Hilton, Tony Awards host Ariana De Bose, Alexandra Richards, Emira D’Spain, and Brooks Nader.